Dubai Opens 1.65km Al Khaleej Street Tunnel, Carrying 12,000 Vehicles an Hour

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) opened the Al Khaleej Street Tunnel on Sunday, November 8. The 1,650-metre tunnel has three lanes in each direction and can carry up to 12,000 vehicles an hour, running from the end of the Infinity Bridge ramp in Deira to the intersection of Al Khaleej Street and Al Wuheida Street and giving drivers between Infinity Bridge, Deira and Al Mamzar a free-flowing new route. (Archive image: the Al Khaleej Street Tunnel project under construction.)

Part of the Al Shindagha Corridor project

The tunnel is part of the 13-kilometre Al Shindagha Corridor Development Project, which covers Sheikh Rashid Road, Al Mina Street, Al Khaleej Street and Cairo Street. The authority says that once the corridor is complete, its capacity will rise from 6,400 to 24,000 vehicles an hour and journey times along the route will fall from one hour and 44 minutes to 16 minutes, a target set for 2030. The corridor is expected to serve around one million people, covering developments including Dubai Islands, Dubai Maritime City and Port Rashid.

Construction progress and tunnel art

The tunnel was about 30 percent complete in May 2025 and had reached 80 percent by May 2026, opening on schedule in the fourth quarter of 2026. The project recorded nearly 11 million work hours without any reported injuries. Inside the tunnel is a public artwork by Emirati artist Maryam Al Hathboor, created under the Dubai Tunnels initiative.

Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the RTA's board of executive directors, said the tunnel would improve traffic flow and connectivity between Infinity Bridge, Deira and Al Mamzar. The authority completed the corridor's Bur Dubai section in 2025 and is now building a 1,425-metre bridge connecting Dubai Islands with Bur Dubai.